


Not Supposed to Come Easily

by RobinsonsWereHere



Category: Psych (TV 2006)
Genre: BC THATS CANON NOW!!!, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Holidays, Innuendo, Kidfic, One Shot, Planned Pregnancy, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Snapshots, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, married shules, post-psych the movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21833590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinsonsWereHere/pseuds/RobinsonsWereHere
Summary: Set after Psych The Movie. Settling into their marriage, Shawn and Juliet begin to think about the next steps in their lives together. When Juliet brings up possibly having kids, they embark on an adventure full of surprises and love.
Relationships: Burton "Gus" Guster & Shawn Spencer, Carlton Lassiter & Juliet O'Hara, Henry Spencer & Shawn Spencer, Juliet O'Hara & Maryanne O'Hara, Juliet O'Hara/Shawn Spencer
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	Not Supposed to Come Easily

**Author's Note:**

> "I think the best things, the richest things, aren't supposed to come easily, and maybe the moments that make the most sense happen when everything else doesn't."
> 
> \- Juliet O'Hara
> 
> "Just marry me, so I can show you how awesome our lives will be together!"
> 
> \- Shawn Spencer

Shawn and Juliet’s first Christmas as a married couple is not peaceful, festive, or particularly joyous. They should’ve been enjoying a lovely Jamaican honeymoon, but no, Ewan had just _had_ to crash the party. Thankfully, by the start of the New Year, things are slowly going back to normal.

Juliet returns to work the second week of January, answering inquiries about her honeymoon with ‘you don’t want to know’. Shawn, after three years of expanding his new gremlins-themed office and trying to track down the ring, finally starts taking real cases. He’s shocked to find that he quickly starts making large amounts of money, and while Gus scolds him for his idiocy, Juliet can only laugh.

One afternoon, lying on the couch watching football with her husband, Juliet finds herself considering the next steps of their marriage. Yes, it’s only been a month, but for the past three years, her relationship with Shawn has felt stagnant, neither one pushing the other to move forward. Now that she has a ring on her finger, she feels like a world of possibilities has opened before her. And Juliet O’Hara has always been an overachiever.

“Shawn,” she says, “how do you really feel about having kids?”

“Kids?” Shawn looks mildly surprised, but not spooked or anything. “Like, human kids? With you?”

“Well, I hope so,” Juliet teases.

Shawn kisses her softly, drawing happy sighs from her lips. “I absolutely want to have kids with you, Jules, at some point. I said so in my proposal, remember?”

“Well…” Juliet reaches for his hand, choosing her words carefully lest she say something in the wrong way. “Shawn, it seems like… especially in hindsight, it seems like you maybe weren’t ready back then. And we’re happy now, I am so happy, and I love you,” she assures him, “but I just wanted to… check in. Make sure you weren’t just saying what you thought I wanted to hear.”

“I want kids with you, Jules,” Shawn says, as serious as he ever is. “Maybe you’re right, about me not being ready when I proposed. But I am now.” He kisses her cheek. “I am now.”

“And if I meant right now?” Juliet doesn’t want to push, but this is a conversation they need to have. “Because there’s a big difference between ‘I see children in our future’ and ‘let’s get rid of all the condoms’.” She takes a shaky breath. “I think I might want to seriously think about getting pregnant within the next year or so. But only if you’re comfortable with that, Shawn. Only if you want it too.”

Shawn kisses her soundly, wrapping her in his warm arms and pulling her close to his soft chest. When he breaks the kiss, he smiles against her mouth. “I am so down for that,” he murmurs. “You know…” Juliet gasps as his hand slides under her shirt. “I hear making babies can be a pretty fun experience.”

That wasn’t exactly what Juliet had meant, but she’s more than happy to oblige.

\---

Shawn is more than a little nervous at the prospect of having a baby with Juliet, but he’s determined to step up and be the best version of himself, like Gus had suggested. Still, when he comes home one February afternoon to find Juliet lying in their bed with a sleeve of Thin Mints, he’s not exactly sorry to learn her period has arrived.

“Come be my human hot water bottle,” she mumbles, stuffing another cookie in her mouth.

Shawn smiles softly and kicks off his shoes, kissing her forehead as he climbs into bed. When he pulls her into him and rubs at her stomach, she sighs happily. “That feels nice. Thanks.”

“Of course, oh lovely wife of mine.”

Juliet giggles. “You’re laying it on a bit thick… what did you do?”

“Nothing,” he swears, and really, he’s been playing by the rules all week. “I just know how you get during this time of the month.”

She looks up at him with a raised eyebrow. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“I know.” He kisses her forehead again. “I tell myself that every day.”

\---

By April, Juliet is more than a little disappointed when her period arrives right on time. Her partner, Detective Lily Alexander, notices the look on her face. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Just that time of the month,” Juliet groans, picking up a case file to leaf through.

“Hey, at least you’re not pregnant,” jokes the younger woman. Juliet tries for a smile, humming noncommittally. “Wait a minute…” her partner grimaces. “Hang on, are you and Shawn trying?”

Juliet shrugs. “Yeah, kind of.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.” Lily winces. “That was insensitive.”

“You didn’t know.” Juliet waves it off. “Don’t worry about it.”

\---

As Spring turns to Summer, Shawn warms to the idea of having a baby sometime soon. It still scares the hell out of him, but watching Juliet get a little bit sadder, a little more resigned, with every month it doesn’t happen breaks his heart. He wants this kid, because he knows it’ll make Jules happy. Shawn has wanted Jules to be happy for a long, long time.

“Things like this can take a while,” she says, curled in his arms one night. Shawn knows she’s not really talking to him, but he hums in agreement anyway. “And hey, there’s always the fleet of pugs as a backup plan. They’re cute too.”

“It’ll happen, Jules,” he assures her, rubbing her arm. “The babies and the pugs. It’ll happen.”

“You’re right,” she agrees with a smile. “We just have to stay positive. Plus, it’s definitely gonna be harder to do my job if I get pregnant. We shouldn’t wish time away.”

“Of course not.” He kisses her, softly, peppering kisses over her forehead, her cheeks, her entire face. “You know…” he smirks, his lips moving down her neck.

Juliet giggles as he hits the neckline of her shirt. “What?”

“We could just…” he slides a hand under her shirt. “Try harder.” He kisses her mouth again, more passionately. “More sex means a greater chance of getting pregnant.” With one hand, he manages to undo her bra. “It’s science.”

This time, Juliet truly laughs, and pulls her shirt off. “Well, then, it couldn’t hurt.”

\---

Juliet spends the Fourth of July hugging the toilet, getting sick so often that it’s hardly worth leaving the room. Shawn holds her hair back and gives her cool washcloths for her forehead and tries his best to make a plain broth, though Juliet can’t keep that down, either. At the end of the night, with Juliet feeling only a little bit better, they cuddle in bed and watch the Washington, DC fireworks on TV. Juliet is disappointed to have missed the local festivities, but Shawn holding her is nice. When she falls asleep on his chest, her last thought is a vague hope that this is just some sort of twenty-four-hour bug.

It is not.

July 5th sees Juliet just as sick as the day before, and despite the fact that it’s a weekday and no longer a holiday, neither she nor Shawn go into work. She mumbles something about being late when she wakes up and the clock reads 8:30, but a wave of nausea sweeps over her, sending her rushing for the bathroom and effectively quelling any desire to go to work. She manages to sip a few times at a can of ginger ale, but eventually, it all comes back up.

On the third day in a row of being miserably sick, something clicks in Juliet’s head. Curled in a rather pathetic ball, she wonders if she’ll have to deal with her period on top of all of this-- after all, it should be coming up, should’ve arrived a week or so ago. But she’d gotten this horrible nausea and exhaustion instead.

_Wait a minute._

Juliet rolls over, takes a deep breath to combat another wave of nausea, and then calls out for her husband. “Shawn? Honey, could you run to the pharmacy for me?”

“Yeah, sure, Jules.” He appears in the doorway with a smile. “What do you want? What would help you feel better? I could call Gus and ask for anti-nausea recommendations…” 

“I think all that is prescription,” she sighs. “But could you, um, pick up a few pregnancy tests?”

Shawn’s jaw drops, shock spreading over his face. “Jules-- you think you’re--”

“I don’t know,” she admits, tugging at a strand of her hair. “But, I mean, I’m sick and I’m tired and I’m late on my period, so…”

To her delight, Shawn bounds across the room and joins her on the bed, kissing her sweetly. “This is so great, babe. I’ll go grab you a few tests. I’ll be right back!”

Even as sick as she feels, Juliet can’t help but smile at his boundless enthusiasm. “I’m not going anywhere, Shawn. See you in a few.”

\---

Shawn hurries home with a plastic bag full of pregnancy tests-- yeah, the clerk had given him a weird look. He’d forgotten his wallet and paid with the 20 dollar bill he’d found in his pocket, which had bought him about six of the tests. He hadn’t known which one to get, the one that promised 99.9% accuracy or the one that was doctor recommended or any of the many other positively advertised brands. Hence coming home with a full bag.

“Jules?” he calls, managing to unlock the front door. “I got a few tests, babe!”

When he makes it to the bedroom, she’s slowly climbing out of bed. He frowns at the ashen pallor of her skin, but the smile on her face and the look in her eyes radiate hope, and that reassures him.

“Shawn, how many is ‘a few’?”

“Six.”

She laughs. “I’ll probably use three.”

Shawn follows Juliet into the bathroom in a manner akin to a nervous puppy. She follows the instructions and pees on the sticks, then looks at her watch, ready for the wait. “Three minutes.”

He smiles and takes her hand, pressing his lips to the back of it. “Whatever happens… I love you.”

“I love you too, Shawn.” Jules smiles a bit, but then leans back against the counter, her eyes drifting closed. “I’m gonna be sick.”

Shawn can understand that; he’s feeling pretty anxious, too. “Yeah, all this waiting is making me antsy.”

Juliet moves suddenly over to the toilet, retching and vomiting into the bowl. Shawn hurries to hold back her hair. “Oh, you meant literally.”

They end up sitting on the floor while they wait, Shawn wrapping Juliet in his arms as she nestles into his chest. It makes him smile, how automatically she seeks him out for comfort. He’s still not sure he knows what he’s doing with this whole ‘marriage’ thing, but if he’s making Jules happy, they must be doing something right.

When the timer goes off, Juliet grins at him, laughing a little. “Ready for the big reveal?”

“Hell yeah.” Shawn stands up, holding out an arm to her as well. “So, how do we do this? Do we look on the count of three?”

“Sure.” Juliet takes both of his hands in hers, which are cold as always. “One…”

“Two…”

“Three.”

Shawn is still holding her hand as they turn toward the counter, reading the tests. He laughs aloud even as Juliet squeals the results. “Positive! All positive!”

“Jules, we’re having a baby!” Shawn lifts her into his arms, spinning her around as she kisses him. Unfortunately, when he sets her down, she goes vaguely green and once again gets sick into the toilet. He winces and holds her hair, absentmindedly beginning to braid it. “Oops, sorry.”

\---

A month after taking the first tests, Juliet finds herself sitting on an exam table in her OB/GYN’s office, awaiting bloodwork results. In the chair a few feet away, Shawn sits and fidgets, his knee bouncing.

Juliet closes her eyes and takes deep breaths, trying to combat the unfortunate combination of nerves and morning sickness. “Shawn, honey, could you calm down a bit? Or fidget a little more quietly?”

She doesn’t open her eyes, but she hears his foot stop tapping, and then hears him walk across the small room. In the next moment, she feels him sit on the table next to her and begin braiding her hair.

“Thanks,” she says with a laugh. Shawn answers by kissing her on the cheek.

The door opens, and a smiling doctor walks in. “Well, aren’t you two a happy couple.” She holds out a hand. “I’m Dr. McLaughlin.”

“Nice to meet you,” Juliet responds. “Juliet O’Hara, and this is my husband.”

Shawn, too, shakes the doctor’s hand. “Shawn Spencer.”

“Okay, Juliet, it’s official: you’re expecting.” Dr. McLaughlin smiles. “The hormones amounts in your bloodwork are very high; no doubt there. You said it’s been ten weeks since your last period?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“And you’re sure on that number? Because these levels are much higher than we’d expect at ten weeks…”

Juliet nods firmly. “I’ve been keeping careful track for a few months. My last cycle was late May.”

“Well, then, let’s see if an ultrasound can shed some light on the situation.” Dr. McLaughlin double checks her charts, then looks up with a smile. “Follow me to the ultrasound room, please.”

Juliet follows her down the hall, Shawn at her heels. In the ultrasound room, she lays down on the table and pulls up her shirt. It takes a few minutes for the doctor to spread the gel over Juliet’s belly and get the wand in the right place, but soon enough, she must see something. “Aha.”

Shawn and Juliet look expectantly up at her.

“Well, Ms. O’Hara,” says the doctor, “this explains the unusual hormone elevation.”

Juliet gasps when the screen is turned around. “Oh my god.”

“There’s two,” Shawn says, sounding amazed and a bit strangled.

Juliet laughs, almost giddy. “Twins! Shawn, we’re having twins!”

He plants a sweet kiss on her cheek. “Oh, man, this is gonna be great.”

\---

“Gus!” Shawn races into the psychphrancisco office, fresh out of Juliet’s appointment. Well, technically he’d driven her to work first, but his point still stands. “Gus, you’re never gonna believe this!”

“Oh, no,” his best friend groans. “What have you done now?”

“Jules is pregnant!” Shawn bounds into the back corner room, the one with the window that looks out on part of chinatown, which Gus had chosen to put his desk in front of. “With twins! I’m gonna be a dad!”

“C’mon, son!” Gus stands from his desks, looking shocked and thrilled, which is about how Shawn feels. “When did you find out?”

“Well, Jules figured it out last month, but we just found out about the twins part today.” Shawn pulls a copy of the ultrasound from his back pocket. “Look at this, man! Two babies!”

“Damn,” Gus says, examining the paper for himself. “And you’re… okay with this?”

“What? Yeah,” Shawn scoffs. “Remember when I, y’know, married her? Because I love her? I am so, like, _ridiculously_ excited for these kids. It’s a little insane.”

“That’s great, Shawn,” Gus says with a grin. “But seriously, how are you not freaking out right now? I mean, any more than usual.”

Shawn snorts at that. “I think the freak-out is happening in stages. And anyway, this isn’t a complete surprise; Jules and I have been trying. I told you that.”

“No, you didn’t.” Gus frowns.

“Yeah, buddy, I did.” Shawn leans against Gus’ desk, thinking back to the conversation. “In February, remember? I was rambling about how cliche it would be if Jules got pregnant on Valentine’s Day.”

“That was six months ago, Shawn,” Gus scoffs. “You honestly expect me to remember that?”

Shawn chuckles. “I did.”

Gus throws a pad of sticky notes at him, but not even his best friend’s irritation can ruin Shawn’s good mood today.

\---

It’s barely a week after her first appointment when Juliet notices her shirts are getting a little tighter. Honestly, everything is still sinking in, so she’s a little bit startled to look in the mirror and realize she’s actually starting to _look_ pregnant.

Well, her shirt still buttons, even if it’s a little indecent in the chest, and her blazer will hide the bump, but still.

“Shawn, guess what,” she says, walking into the kitchen in search of some light toast (morning sickness _sucks)._

Shawn hands her a piece of plain toast, wheat bread, no butter, and a mug of decaf tea. “What?”

“I’m getting a baby bump,” she says with a smile, taking his hand and guiding it to her belly.

“Already?” Shawn laughs, moving both of his hands to her stomach. “Wow… you’re right… that’s crazy.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one a little surprised,” Juliet admits. “It makes sense, I guess, that I’d start showing earlier with twins, but up until last week I thought it was only one baby, so.”

Shawn kisses her softly, but it goes on for a while. “Have an amazing day at work, Jules,” he tells her. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Shawn,” she responds, cupping his cheek and trying not to cry.

Her husband chuckles. “Hey, what’s with the tearing up? Are your hormones really this out of whack?”

She smacks him, but accepts a warm hug. “Stop teasing me,” she sniffs. “It’s half your fault I’m in this situation.”

“Of course, of course,” he murmurs, kissing her hair. “I shall endeavor to make sure you feel validated in any emotional overreactions for the next seven-ish months.”

Juliet knows she’s ruining her mascara, but something about being held by Shawn makes everything else matter a little less. So she cries, cries until she laughs, because what the hell is she even crying over. And when she’s late to work, she doesn’t mind that, either.

She just smiles, and rubs her small bump, and that’s enough to make her entire day.

\---

Shawn makes it home late one night to find his wife asleep on the couch, some documentary about water playing on the television. For a few minutes, he stands and takes it all in-- Jules with her hair spread in a wild halo, drooling on the throw pillow, one arm wrapped over her growing baby bump. Then, as any good husband would do, he scoops her up in his arms and carries her into the bedroom.

Juliet stirs a bit in his arms, but doesn’t wake up. He lays her gently in the bed, wondering if he should wake her and encourage her to wear pajamas. But she’s been moody lately-- not that he blames her-- and she’s in her sweatpants and a t-shirt already, so she’s probably plenty comfortable.

“I love you,” he whispers, kissing her cheek. After a moment’s hesitation, he bends and kisses her belly as well. To his shock, he feels a tiny kick in response. His gasp must wake up Jules, because she groans and sits up halfway, blinking blearily at him.

“Shawn? What’s happening? When did you get home?”

“Just a few minutes ago,” he says, sitting on the bed. “You were konked out on the couch, so I carried you in here. I was just gonna let you sleep, but, uh…” he gestures to her stomach. “They startled me.”

Juliet’s jaw drops a little, and she grins, one hand going to her belly. “Wait, you felt a kick? I’ve been feeling them squirming for a bit, but I didn’t know if you could feel them…”

“I felt someone,” Shawn tells her, scooting closer so he can feel the bump again. “What do you think, guys? Wanna say hi to your dad again?”

He and Jules both laugh in delight when even more kicks come repeatedly against Shawn’s hand. “Man, this is insane,” he murmurs.

Juliet kisses him sweetly. “They’re getting stronger… and bigger.” She rubs her bump. “It must be getting crowded in there,” she says with a laugh. “I’m going to be huge.”

“You’re going to be even more beautiful,” Shawn corrects, “because you’re carrying our children, two of them, at once, because you’re amazing.” He kisses her. “I love you so much. All three of you.”

Juliet laughs and pulls him down, cuddling into his side. “Oh, Shawn… I love you too.”

Every night Shawn spends with Jules, he thinks he can’t get any happier, and then he does. Tonight, cuddling her and kissing her and feeling their babies kick, he knows he’s the happiest he’s ever been.

He loves his whole family so damn much.

\---

Come November, Juliet finds herself on the phone with her mother for the first time in months. As they’re discussing who’s traveling where for the holidays, Juliet realizes she hasn’t actually told Maryanne about the pregnancy.

 _”We’ve got a much more flexible schedule than you, honey,”_ Maryanne says, while Juliet is still reeling over the fact that she’s five months pregnant and hasn’t told her family. _”I know how hard it is for you to get time off work. Lloyd and I can come over to California.”_

There are any number of logical responses to this: sure, if that’s what you want, no, we won’t make you travel, let me see how much vacation time I have and get back to you. However, Juliet, no longer thinking about vacation at all, chooses none of those.

“Mom, I’m pregnant,” she blurts into the phone.

 _”What!?”_ Maryanne’s voice comes out as a squawk. _”Oh my god, really!? Why are you just bringing this up now!?”_

“I forgot I hadn’t told you!” Juliet laughs. “I’m about five months along… oh, and I’m having twins.”

_”Juliet! Oh my goodness, this is amazing news!”_

“It really is,” she agrees, resting a hand on her now-prominent bump. “Shawn and I are both so excited.”

_”Goodness, now we have to come up there for Christmas… I’d imagine a six hour flight while six months pregnant would be rather uncomfortable. Oh, speaking of flights, when did you say you were due? I’ll have to come up when the babies are born, too…”_

“That’s not happening until March, Mom,” Juliet assures her. Technically, thanks to her age (ugh) and the fact that she’s carrying twins, she’s at a higher risk for premature labor, but there’s nothing going wrong right now, so she’s not going to worry about that.

_”Well, then, I guess we can save those decisions for later. So, tell me everything… how are you feeling? When did you find out? Am I finally getting a granddaughter?”_

Laughing, Juliet rubs at her belly, feeling her babies kick. “Well, thankfully, morning sickness has finally faded…”

\---

Shawn has a problem.

It’s December first, which means in six days, it will be December seventh.

 _That’s how linear time works, Shawn,_ says the voice in his head, which sounds a little like his dad but more like Gus at the moment, given the use of the word ‘linear’.

December seventh marks Shawn and Juliet’s first wedding anniversary, and with everything that’s happened in the past year, it feels like time has flown by. It’s not the anniversary Shawn’s upset about, no-- he’s as happy as he’s ever been, and still totally over the moon that he’d finally gotten around to marrying Jules. The problem is that he hasn’t bought her a gift yet.

“I don’t know what to get her, Gus,” he groans, spinning in his chair in the psychphranciso office. “It’s our first anniversary! It has to be special! There’s so much pressure!”

“Well,” says Gus, not looking up from his work, “what ideas do you have so far?”

Shawn hums, thinking through the possibilities that have been racing through his head all day. “Well, I could get baby clothes, but I’d feel weird shopping for those by myself. And we haven’t even started on the nursery yet--”

“Which is a whole other problem--”

“Dude, shut up, one thing at a time. We haven’t started on the nursery, and Jules probably wants a theme or something, so I don’t think I should try to go there. And with strollers and the big stuff there’s always that one brand you’re supposed to get, or _not_ supposed to get…”

“Shawn, those are all things for the babies,” Gus points out. “Sure, you’ll need them eventually, but you anniversary is supposed to be about you and Juliet. Mostly Juliet.”

 _Oh. I didn’t think of that._ “So…” Shawn wracks his brain for a meaningful gift that has nothing to do with the twins. “Jewelry?”

“Jewelry could work,” Gus agrees, “provided you find it in under three years. And it should have personal meaning, too, otherwise you’ve wasted hundreds of dollars on a diamond necklace without reassuring her of your love.”

Shawn frowns. “Why would she need reassurance? I tell her every day.”

“Man, I don’t know,” Gus scoffs. “It’s a special day, I guess. You gotta do something special.”

“Special…” Shawn nods slowly. “Special.”

He gets her a necklace.

It’s a silver cat, or, silver twisted into a shape that suggests a cat. There’s a diamond in the center, and if Shawn really think about it, it almost looks like that white triangle of fur that some cats have on their chests. He gets it because it’s a really nice piece of jewelry, and the fact that it's a cat is a little reminder that he knows Juliet, that he thinks about what she might like, that he loves her more than he’s ever loved anyone.

Even in his head, that last part still causes some feeling to stir in his chest, some sort of deep realization that he has so much more with Juliet than he’s ever had. He’s still not quite sure how to handle a relationship that’s this big, this important. Like everything else in his life, making it up as he goes seems to be working.

Case in point: on December seventh, he takes Jules out to a really nice restaurant, which just so happens to be serving the very sandwich she’s been craving for weeks (he’d checked ahead of time). It’s the fanciest date they’ve had in months; certainly the fanciest since she’s gotten pregnant. Shawn is spellbound by the way her shimmery blue dress cascades over her bump and adds to her almost ethereal glow.

“I love you,” he says for the thousandth time that night, as they sign the check for the meal. He picks up the small bag with colorful tissue sticking out of the top. “Happy anniversary.”

“Happy anniversary, Shawn,” Juliet replies, handing him a small box wrapped in gold paper as a radiant smile spreads across her face.

“You first,” he says, waving his hand in a ‘go on’ motion. She tugs the tissue paper out of the bag and then pulls out the box the necklace is in. When she opens it, her face lights up. “Oh, wow! This is so cute!” She grins up at him. “Shawn, is this a real diamond?”

“Of course.” He kisses her hand. “It’s an important day, Jules. I spared no expense.”

“Well, I love it, Shawn.” This time, she twists their hands around so she can kiss his. “Now open yours, I want to know what you think!”

Shawn chuckles and does indeed open the box to find tissue paper printed with gold stars, with two tickets nestled in it. They appear to be to some sort of music festival-- they’re printed with the words ‘Back to the 80’s” in the _Back to the Future_ font.

“Woah, Jules, this looks so cool!” he exclaims. “When is it?” He picks up the ticket and finds a date. “June, nice!”

“We’ll have to get your dad or someone to watch the twins,” Juliet points out. Her hand drifts to her belly and she gets a far-away look in her eye. Shawn knows exactly what she’s thinking.

“It’s kinda crazy, thinking about being parents,” he says. “We’re gonna have two kids, Jules, in just a few months. Insane.”

She smiles at him, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. “You know, Shawn, out of all of the crazy adventures I’ve had with you... I never expected this to be one of them.”

“No?”

“Not until very recently, at least,” she says. “But I’m so glad it is.”

\---

Juliet lets Shawn be in charge of the holiday preparations, though she helps with the planning. With family coming from Santa Barbara, Miami, and wherever the hell Maddie Spencer is these days, it’s a lot of logistics.

Step one: 1pm, December 23rd. Pick up Maryanne and Lloyd from the airport. Juliet is excited to see her parents, yes, but she knows there’s going to be a lot of screaming.

Shawn makes a sign in colorful marker. Unnecessary, yes, but a sweet sentiment, and something to distract Juliet from constantly planning. She gives him a quick kiss for the thought. And it probably does help Maryanne and Lloyd find them.

“Juliet!”Maryanne shrieks, giving her daughter an enthusiastic hug. “Oh, look at you! I can’t belive it! Gracious, I haven’t even seen you since before the wedding!” She holds her at arm’s length, her gaze sweeping over Juliet’s large belly, and then releases her to instead grab her hand. “Oh, that is a _nice_ ring.”

“Isn’t it?” Juliet beams.

“I’m glad you both like it, it took me three years to find,” Shawn says,in such a way that anyone who didn’t know the truth would think he was joking. “But hey, all’s well that ends well.”

In the car on the drive home, Maryanne chatters endlessly to Juliet. “I can’t believe you’re six months along already, sweetheart! Am I finally getting a granddaughter?”

“We don’t know, Mom,” Juliet answers, her fingers drumming on the steering wheel. “The twins are positioned so that the ultrasound can’t see any indication of gender, and genetic testing would be unnecessarily invasive.” She smiles slightly. “It’ll be a surprise.”

“That’s so fun,” Maryanne replies, and before she can ask another dozen questions about Juliet’s well-being, Juliet changes the subject.

“So, Mom, Henry changed his plans last minute-- he’s gonna share a hotel room with Maddie, since she’s already in town for a conference. You and Lloyd are welcome to the guest room at our place, if you want.”

Her mom frowns at her, making eye contact in the rearview mirror. “I thought you were converting it into a nursery.”

“We are,” says Juliet, “but we haven’t yet. We, uh, knew we’d probably want the room for visitors over the holidays.”

The truth is, they haven’t discussed it much beyond the fact that yes, that room is going to be the nursery. Juliet figures they’ll have time for that-- she’s got a full three months and change, after all. But then again, it’ll be a big transformation… maybe they should get started soon…

In the silence, Lloyd finally speaks up.

“So, uh, Shawn… Henry’s coming to town?”

\---

Christmas Eve is the night of the big family celebration, and Shawn is pretty proud of how it’s going, if he does say so himself. The Christmas tree he and Jules had decorated shortly after their anniversary glows brightly by the window. Holiday music plays from their nice home radio system. There is food and drinks and many, many friends, from Lassie and Gus discussing who gets to be the namesake in the event Juliet has a boy, to Iris entertaining Lily with the electric train running in a circle in the corner.

The atmosphere is festive and laid-back, all at once. Shawn looks around and decides that somehow he’s managed not to mess this up. 

He’ll take that as a good omen for the coming year.

“What are you thinking about, kid?” Henry comes up next to him, sipping a beer and watching the party.

Shawn dodges the question. “Where’s your loyal sidekick? I thought you were getting grandfather lessons from Lloyd.”

Henry snorts. “I thought you might want some ‘father lessons’.” He puts air quotes around the word.

“Well…” Shawn shrugs. He doesn’t quite know how to respond to that-- after all, one of the only things he does know about being a dad is that he doesn’t want to mess up his kids like Henry had messed up him. Still, Henry gives good advice on occasion, and he’s probably not going to leave him alone. “You know what, sure. Where do we start?”

“How are you doing, kid?” Henry leans against the back of a chair. “I know you told me about all of this last month, at thanksgiving, but we talked about Juliet, not you. It looks like you’re happy, but…” he regards Shawn with a scrutinizing eye. “Are you ready?”

“No.” Shawn laughs. “No, not at all.”

“Good.” Henry takes a swig of beer.

Shawn had expected some sort of lecture about responsibility and caring for others. “Wait, what do you mean ‘good’?”

“I thought I was ready,” Henry says. “I read all of the books your mom bought. She was pregnant four times, before we had you. I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to be a dad. But I wasn’t ready, not for the reality.” He looks Shawn straight in the eye. “I don’t think anyone can really be ready… but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare yourself.”

Shawn blinks, trying to take in all of that at once. “Wait a minute… mom was pregnant before she had me?”

“Four times, kid.” Henry nods solemnly. “Never got halfway through.” He lifts his beer as if in a toast. “You’re a damn miracle.”

“Jesus.” Shawn shakes his head. “And I thought trying for six months was hard.”

“The point of this isn’t to dwell on the past, Shawn,” Henry says. “The point is… you’re going through a lot, too, even if Juliet is doing the hard part. And I’m here if you need to talk.”

Shawn nods, slowly considering what his dad is offering. “It’s kinda crazy,” he says. “More than kind of, actually. I’m gonna be a dad. A year ago, Jules and I had just gotten married. Now, in like, three months, we’ll have two kids.” He shakes his head. “I’m scared.”

Henry squints at him. “Scared like you want to run, or scared like you’re not quite sure what’s gonna happen next?”

“The second one. Definitely the second one,” Shawn insists. “The thing is, not knowing where I’m going or what I’m doing didn’t used to bother me. But now… I almost wish I really was psychic, so I could see the future and know for sure that I’m not gonna fuck it up.”

“I know the feeling,” Henry mutters. “Look, kid, there’s no set formula for how to be a great dad. I wish I could tell you exactly how to do it, give you steps to follow so you get it all right. But I can’t.” He claps Shawn on the shoulder. “You’ve just gotta do your best, and remember there are people who care about you who can help.”

Shawn is a little surprised by the confidence he feels after his dad’s reassurance. He smiles a bit, accepting a hug from Henry. “Right, right. Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime, kid.”

\---

Juliet is curled up on the couch with a mug of eggnog (without actual rum, obviously) watching her friends and family enjoy the party. She’s more or less the guest of honor, and has spent the past few hours talking to Karen and Maddie and Marlowe about pregnancy and motherhood. They insist she’s ‘glowing’, which is a nice confidence boost.

Her contemplative silence is interrupted by Carlton, who sits on the couch next to her. “Hey, partner.”

She smiles warmly. “Hey.”

“Thanks for having us.”

“Oh, of course. I missed you,” she teases, poking him in the arm. “You’re living your best life down in Santa Barbara, and I’m living mine up here. I needed some excuse to play with my adorable goddaughter,” she says.

Carlton snorts at the joke, but she knows he understands what she’s really saying. “Well, you’re good with her,” he says. “You’ll be a great mom.”

Juliet grins. “Thank you, Carlton. That really means a lot.”

He nods, a man of few words, as always. “It’s crazy that you and Spencer are having kids.” He laughs softly. “Well, you’ve had a while for it to sink in. But it’s crazy to me.”

“Oh, I still think it’s crazy,” she assures him. “Honestly… last summer, I wasn’t even sure it would happen. We were trying for a full six months, you know,” she says as she rubs her stomach. The feeling of her twins squirming around makes her smile. “And then it did happen, and in August we found out we were having twins… it’s still all sinking in. I don’t think I’ll really believe it until I’m holding them in my arms.”

“That’s a hell of a stroke of luck,” Carlton says. “You both deserve some good luck. Even Spencer.”

Juliet laughs. “We have been through a lot of hard stuff, haven’t we?”

“Hell yeah. We all deserve a little peace and happiness, even if it’s just for the holidays.”

She grins at him, still absentmindedly stroking her belly. “I hope we’re happy for much, much longer than that.”

\---

Shawn and Juliet celebrate the New Year by renovating their guest room into a nursery. Shawn does all of the heavy lifting (with the help of Gus and his dad, who had, oddly enough, stayed in town-- the fact that Maddie just happened to be around is not spoken of). Juliet plans out color schemes and furniture, and encourages Shawn with sweet kisses whenever he comes within arm’s reach of her.

One afternoon, Shawn finds his wife standing in the nursery, hands on her hips, glaring at the paint swaths on the wall like she’s going to cry. He comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around to rest on her belly. “Hey, babe, what’s up?”

To his shock, Jules smacks his hands away. “How the hell am I supposed to decide between these two shades of yellow, Shawn? They look basically the same, but neither feels right!”

Shawn frowns. “Well, they are pretty similar… but I don’t know what’s not right about them, Jules, they both look cute to me.”

“That’s the problem!” She pivots toward him suddenly, her gesturing and expressions speaking of frustration, even anger. “They’re both _acceptable,_ just like half of the names in the baby book are _acceptable._ They _could_ work, if we wanted to half-ass it, but I want this to be perfect! These are our kids, Shawn! Don’t they deserve the best we can give them?”

“Of course,” he says, his brows furrowing. “What do baby names have to do with this? Why does the paint color change their quality of life?”

“I know, I know, I’m being stupid,” she groans, throwing her hands up. “I just-- it would be so much simpler if we knew, you know? We wouldn’t have to come up with four name options and we wouldn’t have to pick a gender-neutral paint color. I mean, come on yellow? It’s nice, but…” she shakes her head. “It’s not right.”

Shawn steps toward her, lays a hand on her arm, and when she doesn’t pull away, he kisses her soundly. When their eyes meet again, Juliet looks slightly dazed. “What was that for?”

“I love you,” he reminds her, his gaze flitting down to the cat necklace around her neck. “I love you, and these are our babies, and we can name them what we want, and raise them how we want. Screw gender norms, what color do you want the nursery?”

“Pink,” Jules answers, her voice small. “Pink like the sky in the morning in Miami, when I woke up early for school. Pink like the sunrise on the beach in Santa Barbara when I went running. Pink like the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge, when you took me on that picnic date, do you remember?” She’s tearing up as she looks into Shawn’s eyes.

“I remember.” Shawn kisses her again, on the lips and then over her whole face, kissing her tears away. “Pink it is.”

She giggles. “Even if we end up with two boys?”

“Absolutely. Did you not just hear me say ‘screw gender norms’?”

Juliet stands on her tiptoes to kiss him on the mouth. “Pink it is.”

\---

“How are you feeling, Jules?” Shawn asks, one Saturday afternoon in late February. 

His wife, lying on the couch with a book, rubs her belly and groans. “Like I’m thirty-eight weeks pregnant with twins.”

“Mmmn.” Shawn squeezes onto the couch with her, ignoring her groans of protest. “So, beautiful, amazing, and generally perfect?” He kisses her cheek and rubs her belly, something he knows she likes.

“Try ‘whale-like’,” Juliet snorts. “These two have made me huge, and they never stop kicking. I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait to go into labor.”

“Hugely beautiful,” Shawn corrects, feeling one of the babies kick against his hand. “Ravishing. A goddess.”

“Liar,” Jules teases.

“Noooo,” he insists, holding her hand in his. “You’re amazing. You look spectacular. As beautiful as you’ve ever been. You truly do have the pregnancy glow.” He’s laying it on thick, yeah, but flirting is what he does best.

“All lies,” Juliet grumbles, but she’s giggling now.

“I love you,” he murmurs, his voice low and close to her ear.

She rolls over (as best she can) and smiles, giving him a peck on the lips. “I know.”

\---

In March, Juliet wakes not to her alarm but to her entire belly going tight with a strong contraction. She’s been having the Braxton-Hicks contractions for month now, though, so it doesn’t bother her. A few minutes later, when her alarm does go off, her husband blinks blearily awake, smiling when he sees her.

“Morning, Jules,” he mumbles. “How’d you sleep?”

“Not great,” she answers, matching his soft tone. “They’re kicking me in the ribs again… and I got woken up by the stupid ‘practice contractions’.” She puts air quotes around the word with one hand.”

“Mmmn, I’m sorry about that, babe,” he says, pulling her close and kissing her temple. “Three more days.”

Juliet nods. “I know it’s good that I’ve held onto them for this long, but god, I am so tired of being pregnant.” With a groan, she heaves herself upright to start the day. It’s not exactly an easy process, and she has to stay there for a minute before fully standing up. Unfortunately, as she sits on the edge of the bed, she feels warm liquid soaking the sheets beneath her. “Shit,” she mumbles, embarrassment heating her cheeks. “Did I just…”

She’s cut off by another contraction, which is distinctly more painful than what she’s used to. “Oh my god,” she pants, realizing something. “Shawn, I’m in labor!”

“What!?” He sits bolt upright, scrambling over the bed towards her. “Holy shit! Really? Now!?”

“Well,” she answers, stretching as the contraction fades, “I’m pretty sure my water broke, and that hurt a hell of a lot for a Braxton-Hicks contraction, so, yeah.”

“Okay, okay, this is fine,” Shawn says, his voice fast and panick-y. “Uh, we just need to, uh, get to the hospital, right? Or is there some rule about waiting until contractions are closer? Shit, where’s the bag?”

“The bag is by the door, Shawn,” Juliet reminds him, standing up. “And my doctor wanted me in as soon as labor started, since I’m technically high-risk.”

“Oh, yeah, there’s that lovely detail,” he mutters. “So, uh, I guess we’re going?”

“Let me at least get pants on,” Juliet says, stripping off her now soaked underwear. “Also, I want to do my hair.”

Shawn looks absolutely baffled. “You want to do your hair? Why does that matter now? We should be going to the hospital!”

“Shawn, are you in labor?” Juliet asks, trying not to get ticked off as she pulls clothing from her dresser.

“No…”

“Have you been carrying twins inside you for a full nine months?”

“No.”

“Are you about to spend the next several hours in immense pain?”

He scrunches up his face. “By proxy…?”

She throws her hairbrush at him. “Wrong answer. You can wait in the living room.”

\---

Shawn’s heartbeat triples as Juliet screams in pain, clutching his hand. It’s going on eight at night, which means she’s been in labor for over twelve hours. If he thinks he’s tired, he knows it’s nothing compared to what Juliet’s feeling.

“How long is this going to take?” she moans, not opening her eyes even as the contraction ends and her breathing returns to normal. 

Shawn kisses the back of her hand. “I don’t know, sweetheart. The doctor said you’re doing good.”

“It’s been twelve hours,” she protests. “How long can it take to dilate ten damn centimeters?”

“Babe, I wish I could tell you,” he sighs. Really, it’s tearing him apart to see her go through this. His only solace comes from knowing he’ll soon meet his kids, and Gus stopping by every so often to check in.

“Hey, how’s it going?” 

Speak of the devil.

Shawn turns to look up at Gus without letting go of Juliet’s hand. “Uh, well, supposedly. What d’you think, Jules?”

She groans and presses her face into the pillow, curling in on herself. 

“Yeah, that about sums it up,” he tells Gus.

“Well, um, visiting hours are just about over,” Gus says. “I’m gonna head home. Keep me updated.”

Now Shawn does stand, hugging his best friend tightly. “Hopefully this will be over before visiting hours start again,” he says.

“You’re naming any boys after me, right?”

They both laugh. “We’ll see,” Shawn says, letting go of Gus. Gus says his goodbyes, and then Shawn and Juliet are once again alone.

“Can you cuddle me?” she asks, before gritting her teeth and crying out in pain. Shawn winces sympathetically and strokes her forehead, moving around to join her on the bed.

“I can absolutely do cuddles,” he tells her, laying down and wrapping one arm over her belly. The other, he lets her use as a pillow.

No sooner have they settled than an alarm starts going off. Shawn jerks upright, scanning the monitors to see what’s wrong. Before he figures anything out, a nurse rushes in.

“Oh, sorry,” she says, laughing a bit. “That’s the weight alarm on the bed; it thinks it should only be holding one person. Let me turn that off.”

“Am I not supposed to be on here?” Shawn asks, hoping he won’t have to leave his wife.

“You’re supposed to be doing whatever she wants, right now,” the nurse assures him. “Juliet, how are things feeling?”

“Not good,” she groans. “It hurts. Like, a lot.”

“It’s not too late for an epidural,” the nurse says. “You’re just over seven centimeters dilated; the time-based cutoff is eight.”

Juliet had initially refused pain meds, saying that she wanted to ‘experience labor’, but it looks like she might be reconsidering.

“You know what?” She twists in Shawn’s arms, looking up at the nurse. “It’s been twelve hours. I know what being in labor feels like now. I would love an epidural, please and thank you.”

“We’ll get you set up now, then,” the nurse replies. “Sorry, Mr. Spencer, you will have to move.”

Shawn doesn’t want to let go of Jules, but he does want her to feel better. Kissing first her cheek and then her belly, he climbs out of the bed.

\---

Fifteen minutes after the epidural, Juliet is feeling much better. When the contractions come, she can feel them, but they don’t hurt anymore. She’s resting in Shawn’s arms, close to dozing off after over twelve hours of labor. He rubs her belly, and she smiles into his shoulder. “Mmn, I love you.”

“I love you too, Jules,” he whispers. “You’re so amazing and strong. I love you so much.”

She looks up at him, her eyelids heavy with sleep. “D’you think they’ll be here soon?”

“I hope so,” he answers, “but you’ve still got a couple more centimeters to go. You should try to get some sleep, babe.”

Sleep sounds really good right now. “Okay,” she answers, snuggling deeper into him. “Think I’ll do that.”

Even as she drifts off, she feels Shawn kiss her on the forehead.

\---

Shawn has felt a lot of different emotions since he and Jules had decided to try to have kids. He’d been nervous at first, even reluctant. When she first got pregnant, he’d been elated-- the nerves had returned later on. As they’d gotten used to the idea of having kids, he’d settled into a state of excitement and some fear, but always in the background.

When the doctors say it’s time for Juliet to deliver the babies, however, he’s terrified.

She’s doing great-- everyone’s heart rate is steady, she’s fully dilated, and even if it’s taken eighteen goddamn hours, she’s gotten here with no complications. Still, Shawn is so scared that he’s literally shaking.

“You’re doing so good, Jules,” he tells her as she pushes, gripping his hand painfully tight. “You’re doing so good. We’re gonna meet our babies soon.”

Juliet makes an inhuman sound, pain leaking out in a feral noise as she keeps pushing. Shawn’s heart twists, wishing he could do something more. “I love you,” he says, his voice breaking.

“Baby’s crowning,” announces the doctor. “One more push, Juliet, and your baby will be born.”

Taking deep breaths between the contractions, Juliet finds the energy to grin at Shawn. “We’re gonna have our baby,” she pants.

“Yeah, we are, Jules,” Shawn agrees. “I’m so proud of you. You’re so strong. So brave.”

The next contraction comes, and in less than a minute, a beautiful cry pierces the air. Shawn sits up, leaning forward to see the baby. “It’s a girl!” announces the doctor.

The next few minutes are a blur, with nurses everywhere, helping the doctor with the newborn and checking on Juliet and the next twin. Apparently, baby number two is coming out the same way their sister had-- they’re head down, like they should be, and engaged with the cervix already. No c-sections necessary.

Shawn is so busy processing all of this that he doesn’t notice the nurse holding the baby-- his _daughter--_ out to him until she taps him on the shoulder. “Mr. Spencer? Your little girl is five pounds, two ounces. Would you like to hold her?”

“Holy shit,” he murmurs, staring down at the baby with her damp blonde curls and her squinting blue eyes. “Wait, I’m not supposed to say that anymore, am I?”

“It won’t hurt her,” the nurse assures her. “Neither will you, if you hold her right. Here, sit down, and make sure to keep an arm under her head.”

Shawn is so spellbound by his little girl that he barely notices Juliet’s pained screams. Once he can tear his gaze from their daughter, however, he does look back to his wife.

“Look how perfect she is, Jules,” he says. “We made her. And we made the next one, too… and we made her twin, too. They’ll be here soon.”

As the contraction ends, Juliet smiles up at Shawn, but her eyes quickly fall to their baby. “Oh my god,” she gasps. “God, Shawn, I love her.”

\---

Nineteen minutes after her daughter is born, Juliet gives birth to her son. She has a few minutes to catch her breath and revel in the euphoria of, after eighteen hours, _not_ being in labor. When her baby boy is handed to her, all of the pain melts away.

“Look at you,” she coos, her voice thick with emotion. “Oh, you’re gorgeous, aren’t you?”

He gives a loud cry, waving an arm in the air. Juliet laughs wetly. “Shawn, look at him!”

He does, a lovesick, doting grin on his face. “He’s so perfect, Jules, and so is she. Look at them both.”

The sight of her husband holding their daughter finally makes Juliet burst into happy tears, her hormones overloading for the millionth time over the past nine months. Still holding her son, she doesn’t even bother to wipe them away. “We did it, Shawn,” she cries.

Shawn leans over and kisses her softly on the lips. “Yeah we did, Jules. You did it.”

\---

Mackenzie Juliet Spencer and Ian Burton Spencer come home three days after their birth. At almost six pounds each, they’re big for twins, but then again, Juliet had been pregnant for longer than the average twin mother.

Shawn, Juliet, and the twins are welcomed home by a surprise party, which nearly causes Juliet to draw her gun. The babies are passed around, their grandparents and pseudo-aunts and uncles ooh-ing and aah-ing over them. Gus cries when he learns that Ian had indeed been named after him.

Now, everyone has left. It’s somewhere around three in the morning,and Juliet is nursing the twins. She’s completely shirtless, enjoying the feel of her warm babies against her skin. 

When she looks up, Shawn is staring down at the three of them. “I love you all so much.”

“Yeah, me too,” Juliet agrees. “You know, you could be sleeping right now.”

“Jules, why would I want to sleep when I could be spending time with my spectacular wife and our two amazing children?” He grins at her, adoration evident in his gaze. “I could happily do this for the rest of my life.”

“Well, it looks like they’re about done,” she says. Indeed, Ian has dropped off to sleep, and it looks like Mackenzie will soon follow. “I think it’s bedtime.”

Even once the twins are snoozing in their cribs, Shawn and Juliet stay awake. She stands near the foot of Mackenzie’s crib and the head of Ian’s, watching their tiny chests rise and fall. “God, I’ve never loved anyone even close to this much,” she sighs.

“I know what you mean,” Shawn agrees, his chin on her head and his arms wrapped around her. “Although I can think of someone who almost measures up.”

“Oh?” Juliet turns to face him, a smile on her face. “Who might that be?”

Shawn answers her with a kiss and one word. “You.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This was longer than most of my oneshots, I hope you liked it! Leave a comment or kudos, or find me on tumblr at trixiesfranklin !


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